Friday, November 30, 2012

So long, Amazon.com

Such is the cycle of life. A new upstart start-up comes and shakes up an industry. The small guy, with a lot of luck, succeeds in what he does. Over time, he becomes a behemoth. Dies.

Cue Amazon.com. Look at that upstart start-up that revolutionized the low-margin high-sales business. Did you think it was possible to undercut WalMart? Neither did I. Well, all good things must come to an end. As Amazon.com grows, it attracts all kinds of people. Just like people selling five thousand dollar twinkies on eBay, there are people selling Nexus 7 tablets for stupid margins on Amazon.com as well. This undermines Amazon.com's reputation of being the best deal in town. Who had the highest volume of traffic on Black Friday? Why do people price check so feverishly on Amazon.com and why not elsewhere?

Trust. It takes a long time to build and not very long to destroy. When Amazon.com sends emails promoting something that is grossly overpriced, it loses my trust. So long, Amazon.com. Your long and steady decline has begun. I will miss you.